Charles l



(No Model.)

C. L. FORTIER.

PIRE BXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

No. 468,439. L Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. FORTIER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE KNOVLES,JR., OF SAME PLACE. i

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.46v8,4319, datedFebruary 9, 1892.

Application iiled March 29, 1889. Serial No. 305,230.- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, CHARLES L. FORMER, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Eire-EX- tinguishing Apparatus; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereot.

My present invention relates to automatic 1o fire-extinguishingapparatus, and will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawing the iigure is a sectional elevation of my invention.

A is the service-pipe, and B is the main i 5 sprinkler-pipe,to which asmaller sprinklerpipe B is connected.

O are the sprinklers, which may be of any desired form.

D is an air-pump, which may be operated zo by the pressure of water'from the servicepipe through pipe a or by any other means. Thisair-pump is connected to main sprinklerpipe by a pipe l).

E is a valve-chamber, and E an expansionz 5 chamber, the elastic wall ofwhich bears upon a head c, which is held out against it by a spring d,through which the stem G of the head presses, and this stem G,projecting through the wall of valve-chamber E, is provided with a lug ffor engagement with a lever H, that is pivoted at its lower end to thevalve-chamber.

Just beneath the pivot of lever l'I a rock bar I is pivoted, and an arm7L of this rock- 3 5 bar, that depends from the center of its underside, is connected with the upper end ot' lever 1I by a springj. Therock-bar I has two other arms 7L and h, which are on their Linder sidefaced with valve-surfaces, and one of these 4o arms 7L overhangs a portt', While the other overhangs a port fi', the former leading from a pipe7c, that connects with service-pipe A, and the other leading to the openair.

L is an expansion-chamber that is connected to the coupling M, thatjoins pipes A and B, and this chamber L is connected with valvechamber Eby a pipe E. The movable Wall E2 of chamber L is connected directly tothe stem il of a valve i that closes pipe A, which o stem passes fromone to the other through a stuffing-box m, and a spring p is interposedbetween the inner wall of the chamber L and its movable wall, whichspring has a constant tendency to contract the chamber L and cause itsmovable wall E2 to open valve N. 55

The operation of my device is as follows: The expansion-chamber E isconnected by a pipe F with sprinkler-pipe B, and it is normally expandedby the air from pump D through pipes l), B, and E after the apparatus6o' is set for operation, which is done as follows: Before the Water islet into the service-pipe from the water-mains cock 7.5 in pipe 7c isclosed and the movable wall E2 is forced in to close valve N by aplunger P, that is screwthreaded and works in acorrespondinglyscrew-threaded opening in the outer Wall of chamber L.The pipe B is now drained through a cock q, and then the cock q isclosed and the air-pump started and chamber F ex- 7o panded. Now bymeans of a hooked rod r, that passes through a stuffing-box in the wallof chamber E, the lever Il is drawn into the position shown in theligure, causing the rockbar I to open port t' and close port t. The 75rod o' is then thrust back out of the way and the water from the mainadmitted to pipe A, and cock It is opened, when the water will enterchamber L through valve-chamber E, and as its pressure on wall E2 willbe suiii- 8o cient to hold valve i tightly in its seat the pl ungerP isthen withdrawn. The apparatus is now set for service and operation asfollows: IVhen by the action of one or more of the thermostats C of thesprinklers C under the S5 in liuence of abnormal heat one or more of thesprinklers is set off, the diminution of airpressure in pipe B, causedby the escape of air through the sprinklers,'will relieveexpansion-chamber E, when it will be collapsed by 9o spring (l, and itsstem, drawing lever 1I f0rward of its pivotal center, will rock the barI and cause it to open port t' and close port f, thus relieving chamberL of pressure, when the spring p, acting through piston N and aided bythe Water-pressure in pipe A upon valve N, will open valve N and permitthe water from service-pipe A to enter pipes B and B and thus reach thesprinklers.

I do not propose to limit myself to the exact 10o construction andarrangement of the parts as shown, as these may be varied indefinitely.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a service pipe, a sprinkler-pipe and sprinkler orsprinklers, and a valve between the two pipes of an eX- pansion-chamberthe movable wall of which isconnected to said valve, a pipe connectingthe service-pipe and expansion-chamber, a source of compressed-airsupply and a valvechamber interposed between the service-pipe andexpansion-chamber, an intermediate eX- pansion-chamber connected withthe sprinkler-pipe, a port leading from the valve-chamber to the openair,a rock-bar provided with valves for closing the port that leads fromthe fluid-supply to the valve-chamber and that leads to the open airalternately, and connections between the movable wall of theexpansiomchamber and the rock-bar, whereby it is caused, by the collapseof the intermediate eXpansion-chamber, to exhaustthe uid from themaineXpansion-chamber to permit the main valve to open, as set'forth.

.2. The combination, with the sprinklers, sprinkler-pipe, andsupply-pipe, of a valve interposed between the two pipes, aneXpansion-chamber, one wall of which is connected with the stem 0f saidvalve, a valve-chamber connected with said expansionchamber and havingports, one of which leads from the supply-pipe and the other to the openair, a pivoted three-*armed rock-bar having a valvesurface on the underside of two of its arms for closing the last-named ports alternately, anupright lever pivoted at its lower` end above the rock-bar, a springconnectingthe upper end of the upright lever with the lower arm of therock-bar, an auxiliary expansionchamber and a source of air-supplyconnect- `ed with such auxiliary expansion-chamber 3. The combination,with the sprinklers,

sprinkler-pipe, and service-pipe, of a valve between the two pipes, anexpansion-chamber and its movable wall and stem connecting the valve andmovable wall, a retracting-spring arranged on the stem, a valve-chamberand pipes interposedbetween the expansion-chamber and huid-supply, portsleading from the valve-chamber, one of which goes to the open air, and adouble-valve and' an expansion chamber connected therewith and with thesprinkler-pipes, as set forth;

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Visconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. FORTIER.

NVitnesses:

S. S. SToUT, WILLIAM KLUG.

